House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer announced on Apr. 24 that the committee will hold a markup session on Wednesday, April 29 at 10:00am ET to consider several bills aimed at protecting taxpayer money and addressing fraud in federal programs.
The upcoming legislation is intended to strengthen oversight of government spending and reduce losses due to improper payments and fraudulent activities. The Government Accountability Office estimates that between $233 billion and $521 billion is lost each year because of fraud.
Comer said, “Let’s be clear: fraud in federal programs has gone unchecked for far too long. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has acted swiftly to expose widespread theft of taxpayer funds, working alongside the Trump Administration to crack down on fraud and hold fraudsters accountable nationwide. Our oversight has exposed how fraudsters in Minnesota stole taxpayer dollars meant to feed children, support autistic kids, and house low-income seniors and Americans with disabilities. We are now moving to pass strong legislative reforms to stop fraudulent payments before they go out the door and ensure taxpayer-funded programs are working as intended for the American people. The Oversight Committee is delivering on its mission to root out waste and fraud and advance real reforms to stop it from happening again.”
Among the bills under consideration are measures that would direct the U.S. Treasury Department to work with agencies for payment verification before disbursing funds, prevent payments when there is a high risk of impropriety, establish a permanent Inspector General focused on anti-fraud efforts within Treasury, reform existing payment integrity laws by mandating ongoing risk assessments, create workforce training programs against fraud risks across all levels of government administration, require stronger internal controls during emergency spending periods, clarify financial management responsibilities within agencies, expand access for states administering federally funded programs for eligibility checks using federal data systems, and call for recurring reports identifying state-administered programs most vulnerable to misuse.
The markup session will take place at 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. It will be open both to the public and press as well as livestreamed online.
